2000
#6,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,066
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Roll
An occupational surname referring to a person who rolls or flattens metal, likely in a factory setting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,351 Americans carry the last name Roll. That puts it at #6,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roll surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Roll with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 64,054
Census rank
#6,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,666 bearers of the surname Roll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roll, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roll
The surname Roll has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "rollen," which means "to roll" or "to turn." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a miller or a worker in a profession that involved rolling or turning objects.
The earliest recorded instances of the Roll surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in various historical documents and records from German-speaking regions. One notable example is the mention of a person named Henricus Rolle in a document from the city of Cologne, dated 1284.
In the following centuries, the Roll surname spread across different parts of Germany and neighboring countries. It is believed that the name may have also been influenced by the place name Rolle, a town in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland, which could have contributed to the surname's development and variations in spelling.
Several notable individuals with the Roll surname have made their mark throughout history. One such figure was Johann Heinrich Roll (1609-1684), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg, who was renowned for his contributions to church music during the Baroque period.
Another prominent bearer of the Roll surname was Georg Ludwig Roll (1778-1846), a German philosopher and educator who worked as a professor at the University of Bonn. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy were influential in his time.
In the realm of literature, the Roll surname is associated with Walter H. Roll (1886-1942), an American author and playwright known for works such as "The Admirals" and "The House of Connelly." His plays explored themes of family dynamics and social issues.
The Roll surname also has connections to the world of art, with the Austrian painter and engraver Johann Michael Roll (1736-1800) being a notable figure. His works, which included portraits and religious scenes, were highly regarded during the late 18th century.
Another individual of note was Carl Ferdinand Roll (1800-1879), a German architect who designed numerous buildings in Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie, a renowned art museum that still stands today.
While the Roll surname has its roots in Germany and surrounding regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roll
Among Census respondents with the surname Roll, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Roll bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Roll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 4,226
- Two or more races3.8% · 176
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 138
- Black or African American1.4% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roll
Roll appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,011
-55 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 516 places
2020
#6,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,666
-345 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,216 | 5,066 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,732 | 5,011 | 1.70 | -55 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 516 places |
| 2020 | #6,937 | 4,666 | 1.56 | -345 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 205 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Roll surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,732 | #6,937 | -3.0% |
| Count | 5,011 | 4,666 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.56 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roll bearers went from 5,011 to 4,666 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,732 to #6,937.
FAQ
Roll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roll?
Name Census estimates that about 5,351 living Americans carry the surname Roll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,054 residents.
How common is Roll?
Roll ranks #6,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,666 people with the surname Roll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Roll.
Has Roll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roll went from 5,011 recorded bearers to 4,666. That is a decrease of 345 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,732 to #6,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Roll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roll, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (4,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Roll (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Roll mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who rolls or flattens metal, likely in a factory setting. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Roll (1.56 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Roll?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Roll on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.